The invention relates to a device for the rounding of dough pieces comprising a support surface for dough pieces, of the kind that is a device for the rounding of dough pieces, comprising a support surrounding surface for the dough pieces, an elongate rounding rail having a concave rounding surface, the rounding rail extending to the support surface, members being provided in order to move the rounding rail in relation to the support surface having the dough pieces carried thereby, the longitudinal direction of the rail forming an acute angle (u) to the direction of motion of the dough pieces, whereby the dough pieces being kneaded and rounded while rolling off on the rounding surface, wherein the rounding surface is provided with a plurality of recesses distributed over the rounding surface and open toward the rounding surface, which recesses have a diameter in the range of 5-15 mm and a depth in the range of 3-8 mm.
Thus, the invention relates to a device of the kind that comprises a support surface carrying dough pieces, an elongate rounding rail, which preferably has a concave rounding surface for the contact with the dough pieces, members being provided in order to mutually move the rounding rail and the support surface having the dough pieces toward each other. The longitudinal axis of the rounding rail preferably forms an acute angle to the direction of motion of the dough pieces toward the rail. Usually, the rounding surface has a part that is adjacent to the support surface and extends perpendicular to the same. The upper parts of the rounding surface are curved in order to extend generally parallel to the support surface, in over the arriving dough pieces.
The prior art is represented by, for instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,786,016, 6,382,952 B1 and 5,714,178.
A problem in devices of the kind in question is that the dough pieces tend to stick to the rounding surface of the rounding rail, so that dough particles deposit at an increasing extent during operation and will thereby increase the amount of dough that sticks to the rounding rail, so that the dough pieces eventually get an unsatisfactory rounding and an unsatisfactory surface state.
It is previously known to form the dough-contacting surface of the rounding rail from a material having low adhesion to the dough. But simultaneously, the dough pieces have to interact with the rounding rail so that they are conveyed into a rotary motion along the rounding rail for the forming of the desired rounding and the desired rounding effect. In that connection, it is known to form the-rounding rail with a defined roughness, the surface having a plurality of small depressions having a depth of approx. 0.25 mm; but this roughness naturally increases the risk of dough particles becoming stick and disturbing the rounding effect.
Furthermore, the wear of the rounding surface is increased since the bodies in the rough structure get a particularly extensive contact with the dough pieces and accordingly experience a wear, which entails that the friction in question decays, so that the rounding rail has to be exchanged in order to present the intended rounding effect.